This week, Ezra unpacks why Trump’s stupidity won’t save us -- only mass
action can! Plus, call for Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s release, resist Trump’s tax
scam, combat online disinformation, and more in our weekly actions.
Hey Folks,
This isn’t exactly “news,” but in the last week Trump has been saying and
doing a lot of stupid and horrifying stuff. I know -- I’m as shocked as
you are.
He wants to [ [link removed] ]reopen Alcatraz. He’s escalating his trade war -- [ [link removed] ]this
time on movies. His [ [link removed] ]proposed budget includes $1 trillion for defense
while slashing support for education, Medicaid, and public assistance.
He’s [ [link removed] ]fired his national security adviser who couldn’t figure out how to
use a messaging app. He’s [ [link removed] ]planning to spend tens of millions of dollars
on a military parade for his birthday. [ [link removed] ]He’s trying to kill PBS and NPR
and the [ [link removed] ]National Endowment for the Arts. He reiterated [ [link removed] ]his intent to
annex Canada. He keeps defending his economic agenda by saying [ [link removed] ]children
don’t need as many toys, and it’s fine if they cost more. Asked directly
if he has a duty to uphold the Constitution, he responded simply, [ [link removed] ]“I
don’t know.”
As a favorite writer of mine, Osita Nwanevu, put it: [ [link removed] ]“It's actually
unbelievable how stupid he is.” It’s a firehose of stupid. It’s a
supersoaker of incompetence. It’d all be comical if it weren’t for the
real, tragic human cost of it all.
But his stupidity and incompetence alone won’t save us. Plenty of
authoritarians have been stupid and incompetent. One historian described
Mussolini as a “bully, coward, and a failure.” Another historian
[ [link removed] ]described him as “an actor, a dissimulator, an exhibitionist who
changed his role from hour to hour to suit the occasion.” Another called
him “[ [link removed] ]farcically inept.” Yet another, “[ [link removed] ]part demagogue, part
buffoon.”
While Trump plays emotionally stunted jackass in prime time, his
goose-stepping underlings are busy consolidating power. [ [link removed] ]By one
measure, they’ve already moved nearly half of the Project 2025 agenda from
the 900 pages of that infamous report into reality backed by Executive
Branch authority, with no signs of slowing down.
Trump’s personal stupidity, arrogance, and incompetence alone won’t stop
him -- but our organizing will. The reason we'll win is because we’re
organizing a mass, unified, peaceful opposition against his malicious
jackassery. To those in the 1,100 communities who showed up in solidarity
with our unionized workers and immigrant neighbors under attack on May
Day: thank you. For those getting ready to show up on [ [link removed] ]No Kings Day
(stay tuned for official launch), thank you too.
Shout outs for brave reporting and brave actions. Shout out to MeidasTouch
for live broadcasting [ [link removed] ]our weekly What’s The Plan chat last week. Shout
out to the [ [link removed] ]Contrarian for its coverage of the May Day protests. Shout
out to the Guardian for its consistent [ [link removed] ]pro-democracy coverage of Trump
from abroad. Shout out to Emily Feiner, the social worker who peacefully
protested at Rep. Mike Lawler’s town hall and was hauled off against her
will.
Other shout outs you want to see? [ [link removed] ]Let me know over on Bluesky. Courage
is contagious -- keep spreading it. Be the Emily Feiner you want to see in
the world. Read on to this week’s action items to do your part.
-- Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible
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Your weekly to-dos
1. [ [link removed] ]Join a virtual phone bank on May 15 to call North Carolina voters
about opposing the GOP reconciliation plan! Senator Thom Tillis will
be one of the nation's most vulnerable Republicans in the 2026
midterms, so we’re urging NC voters to turn the temperature up on
Tillis as we fight Trump’s Tax Scam. The virtual phone bank is open to
volunteers nationwide via Scale To Win and includes training for those
who need it.
2. [ [link removed] ]Email your Members of Congress about bringing Kilmar Abrego Garcia
home. If Trump is allowed to openly defy a court order, no rights are
safe. We’re demanding that leaders in both parties use every tool at
their disposal to ensure Abrego Garcia is freed and returned to
America.
3. [ [link removed] ]If you have a GOP representative, send an email to get them on the
record about plans to defund SNAP and Medicaid. Republicans don’t want
us talking about Trump’s reconciliation plan because they know it
screws working people to pay for billionaires’ tax breaks. We need to
get them on the record and hold them accountable. You can also
[ [link removed] ]click here to CALL their office during business hours.
4. [ [link removed] ]Join this Thursday’s “What’s the Plan” call (3pm ET / 12pm PT) to
hear about a MASSIVE new day of action coming in June. Each Thursday,
our co-founders Leah and Ezra jump online to break down the news, draw
inspiration from Indivisibles’ work, and lay out what’s next for the
movement. This week, they’ll have big news about our next big
mobilization.
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What's happening this week re: Trump's tax scam
Congressional Republicans are still extraordinarily divided over the
details of their plan* to defund Medicaid, gut SNAP, and pass huge tax
breaks for billionaires, so they’ll spend this week in closed-door
meetings having intra-party fights. You can read about the scope of their
issues [ [link removed] ]here, [ [link removed] ]here, [ [link removed] ]here, and [ [link removed] ]even via Fox News (here).
These fights are happening because Republicans facing tough reelection
campaigns are scared of losing their seats over social safety net cuts!
Our job is showing those vulnerable Republicans -- and GOP leadership --
that they’re right to fear for their majority.
[ [link removed] ]Please email your Republican representatives now to tell them we won’t
pay the price of Trump’s tax cuts for billionaires. If you already called
or emailed before, please do so again today!
*You may see this effort called various things: the Trump tax bill, the Trump
tax scam, the GOP megabill, or the reconciliation bill. They’re all shorthand
for the same Republican plan that defunds Medicaid, SNAP, and other beloved
programs so the federal government can "afford" to cut taxes for corporations
and the ultra-rich.
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IndivisiWIN of the week
[31]Two dozen Indivisibles gathered outside a town hall event in Westchester, NY
holding signs that read DEATH BY 1000 DOGE CUTS, HANDS OFF MEDICAID, ELON
PUPPET, and more
Thanks to local Indivisible groups and their allies, Republican
Representative Mike Lawler (NY-17) faced spirited opposition at his own
town hall this weekend, leading to [ [link removed] ]two peaceful demonstrators being
dragged out of the venue. More than 600 constituents showed up to demand
that Lawler keep his party's hands off Medicaid and do more to stop
Trump’s authoritarian takeover attempt!
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Fight right-wing disinformation with Indivisible’s Truth Brigade
Justice is under attack by right-wing disinformation! Far-right lies are
fueling regressive laws and legally dubious executive orders, and
propagandists nationwide are filing baseless cases to legitimize the
unconscionable.
The Truth Brigade is Indivisible’s answer to the lies. We’re leading a
grassroots approach to combating disinformation and, on May 14, launching
a new campaign, “When Lies Make Laws,” to expose their tactics and
highlight the stakes for our society.
[ [link removed] ]Flier for Turth Brigade's New Member Orientation & Campaign Launch Virtual
Meeting on May 14 -- Click to register and join the call
[ [link removed] ]JOIN US: Sign up for the Truth Brigade New Member Orientation and
Message Campaign Launch on Wednesday, May 14, at 6:30pm ET / 3:30pm
PT. Truth Brigade's virtual meetings are open to anyone ready to fight
online lies -- from brand new members to longtime Brigadiers!
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latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to our text
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month.
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